True blue jazz fans inside UCPAC’s Hamilton Stage auditorium in Rahway, NJ this Saturday, August 17, 2024 evening prepare to get their mojo on for a concert by smooth jazz saxophonist and vocalist Mindi Abair.
A graduate of Boston’s Berklee College of Music, Abair toured with the Backstreet Boys and acted as musical director for Mandy Moore before releasing a string of solo jazz recordings including 2003’s It Just Happens That Way, her first project to reach the Billboard Jazz Album Top Ten. Since then, Abair has produced nine Top Five solo albums and scored two №1 spots on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart in addition to a №3 spot on the Billboard Blues chart.
A two-time Grammy nominee, Mindi has toured and/or recorded with artists including Aerosmith, Joe Bonamassa, Smokey Robinson, Teena Marie, Gregg Allman, Trombone Shorty, Duran Duran, Jimmy Webb, and Lalah Hathaway. She also appeared for two seasons as the featured saxophonist on TV’s American Idol. Her latest recording, 2022’s Forever, features original Journey lead singer Steve Perry performing with her on multiple tracks.
Inside UCPAC’s intimate Hamilton Stage auditorium, WBGO radio’s Mark Farrell introduces Mindi Abair who takes the stage along with her band — guitarist Peter Mongaya, keyboardist Bill Heller, bassist Tim George, and drummer Arthur Thompson.
“How are you doing, New Jersey? I’m so excited to be here!” exclaims Abair as she and her band launch into tonight’s opener, “High Five.”
The crowd claps along to the funky beat of this high-energy jazz/rock number which features Abair wailing on sax while her rhythm section percolates underneath.
Announcing, “Put your hands together!” Abair and the band segue into the driving jazz/rocker, “Mojo,” where Abair dances with her sax while bassist Tim George slaps out a funky bass solo.
“Are you guys having fun yet?” asks Abair as she and the band shift into the soulful R&B tune, “Seven Day Fool,” where she vocalizes with style, “I’m a fool for you baby, every day of the week.” Then, Abair and guitarist Peter Mongaya jam together on the mellow smooth jazz number, “True Blue.”
The crowd cheers, and Abair responds, “Thank you! We’re going to have some fun tonight!” She introduces drummer Arthur Thompson who sings lead on his original composition, “Smile,” accompanied by Abair and the band who lay down an easy groove on this appealing smooth jazz tune.
Concertgoers hoot and holler, and Abair declares, “This is New Jersey where we get to turn it up!” Upon revealing that Journey’s Steve Perry sang with her on the original recording of her next number, she and the band sail into “Say It with Love.”
Crooning in her clear and powerful voice, “Say it with love love love love/I say it to you/You say it to me,” four-part harmonies ring out on this R&B ballad before the audience joins in singing the refrain and Abair exclaims, “We’ve got singers in New Jersey!”
Taking seats near the foot of the stage, Abair’s band members call out various tunes they’d like to play starting with “Save Tonight” where Thompson keeps time on this soulful rocker seated on a box drum. Following up with “Come as You Are,” Abair plays her alto with feeling on this backbeat-driven smooth jazz number.
Confessing, “I wish I wrote this tune,” Abair gives a sultry rendition of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” where Tim George renders a syncopated bass solo and Mindi plays long melodic lines with a single breath.
When drummer Thompson displays a new percussion instrument, Abair jokes, “Uh-oh. The tambourine’s come out! That means there’s a party!” Here, she and the band perform Stephen Stills’ “Love the One You’re With” and the audience claps along as they join in singing the famous “Love the one you’re with” refrain.
Abair asks, “Are you guys having as good a time as we’re having?” prior to launching into her self-described “stadium jazz” tune, “Bloom.”
As if they’re attending a concert in a large stadium, concertgoers sway to the music and wave their cellphones while Abair and Co. perform this appealing smooth jazz number.
After talking about how a fan once told her that she was a pretty good saxophone player “for a girl,” Abair sings, “Now I’m just a girl all sugar and spice/But my daddy said I didn’t have to play nice!” on her original tune, “Pretty Good for a Girl.” Afterwards, she wails on her sax with abandon on this bluesy story song, eliciting enthusiastic cheers and applause.
Music lovers clap and move in their seats to the funky groove of “Flirt,” which features an impressive Peter Mongaya guitar solo. Then, after announcing, “This is the first song I ever wrote,” audience members stand and dance with Abair as they joyfully sing, “Da da-da da da-da-da,” to the infectious melody of the rhythmic smooth jazz number, “Lucy’s.”
As audience members continue to stand on their feet cheering and applauding, Abair exclaims, “We love you guys! Thank you for making us feel so welcome!” prior to inquiring, “Can we do one more?”
The crowd responds in the affirmative, and Abair and Co. thunder into a dynamic rendition of Prince’s “Purple Rain” where music lovers hoot and holler for Mindi’s explosive sax solo and Abair and Mongaya play sax and guitar in harmony prior to the arrangement’s powerful conclusion.
Audience members rise and applaud, and Abair responds with a smile, “Thank you for a perfect night! We love you!”
As concertgoers make their way out of the theater, several comment on tonight’s performance. Declares Laura from Goshen, NY, “I love Mindi Abair, she’s so talented! I’ve been coming to see her for decades — her skill as a musician is incredible, the songs she writes are terrific, and her band is just fantastic!”
Remarks Darrick from Somerset, “Mindi was excellent! I’ve seen her quite a few times and she never disappoints. Her shows are always full of energy, and the way she interacts with her audience is so positive that every time I’ve seen her the audience has fallen in love with her.”
Insists Anne from Dunellen, “Mindi Abair’s show was really great! Before tonight, I’d never really heard her music, but my husband loves her so I said I’d join him. I loved her so much that by the end I was standing up, clapping, and cheering! Plus, her personality is really great, too — she’s so spunky!”
Andy from Nyack asserts, “Mindi is terrific! Her sax playing is beyond moving — it’s phenomenal — and everybody in her band is just incredible!” Georgia from Nyack agrees, adding, “Mindi is amazing — she’s a powerhouse! I’ve seen her before and it’s always worth going to her shows. She sings, she writes, she performs, and she has a great band, so I’ll be coming back to see her again as soon as I can!”
To learn more about Mindi Abair, please go to mindiabair.com. For information on great upcoming performances at UCPAC’s Hamilton Stage — including Spyro Gyra’s 50th Anniversary Tour on September 14 at 5:30 and 8pm — please go to ucpac.org. The show was presented by SmoothJazzNJ, for more on their jazz shows click here.
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